Automatic electrical train-stop.



PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

H. G. SEDGWIGK. I AUTOMATIC ELECTRICAL TRAIN STOP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24.. 1905. v

4 SHEEN-SHEET 1.

autumn-1 0* r: rgoams PETERS co), WASHINGTON, n, c

' No. 852,628. PATENTED MAY'7, 1907.

' H. G. SBDGWIOKL AUTOMATIC ELECTRICAL TRAIN STOP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Wit-neon:

THE rvo'mus FETERS cc. \vAsumcnmfn. c.

attuned No. 852,628. PATBNTBD MAY 7,1907.

" H. G. SE'DGWIOK.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRICAL TRAIN STOP. I

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1905- 4 slinnzg-snzn'ra.

///// I ///A////V lA/ 7 witnesses Wane-1 THE NORRIS PETEES co., WASHINGTON. 1:. c

PATENTED MAY '7, 1907.

H. G. SEDGWICK'.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRICAL TRAIN STOP,

' APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4A 4 1/ i pl attoznmgw n1: NORRIS PETERS co., wnsmrvmou. D. c.

HIRAM Gr. SEDGWICK, OF MILL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRECAL TRAIN-STOP Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1907.

Application filed November 24, 1905. Serial No. 288,916.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HIRAM G. SEDGWIOK, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Mill Valley, county of Marin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Electrical Train-Stops, of which the following is a full and clear specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a diagram of a portion of a roadbed showing the present improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2 a similar View showing a cross-over with the invention applied to the same Fig. 3 a diagrammatic view of the supplemental switch-box employed in the present invention; and Fig. 4 a view showing the supplemental or intermediate system of contacts arranged for a crossing.

This invention has particular reference to the automatic block system for train-stopping apparatus covered by my copending application numbered 288,914 in which the locomotive is provided with an electricallycontrolled valve which when actuated vents the train-pipe of the brake mechanism and sets the brakes, the actuation of the valve being accomplished by a pair of insulated stopping contacts suitably mounted on the roadbed adjacent to the rails and adapted to simultaneously make contact with a pair of brushes or other contacts on the locomotive, so that when said roadbed-contacts are made the terminals of a battery a current will be sent through a circuit on the locomotive and thereby actuate the vent-valve. In connection with the stopping-contacts I also employ a pair of setting-contacts which are adapted to co act with another pair of brushes or contacts on the locomotive in such manner as to send a current through certain switches and thereby automatically set or render active the stopping-contacts, which latter are arranged at a proper distance behind the train in double track roads and both behind and in front of the train in singletrack roads, so that as the train proceeds on its journey it will automatically preempt to itself sections of the track. I11 addition to these stopping and setting-contacts I employ another pair of contacts which serve to restore the switches to normal and thereby render inactive the stopping-contacts.

In my present improvements I employ the same system of contacts on the roadbed but in addition I provide a supplemental system of contacts for use at sidetracks, junctions, crossovers, and crossings, whereby a passing train will be protected against trains entering or crossing the main track and whereby a train entering the main track from a junction or side-track or cross-over will automatically protect itself in the same manner as when running on the main track, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

Referring to Fig. 1, which shows these improvements applied to a side-track and a junction,d represents the main switch boxes at the respective ends of the block, these boxes containing the switches and circuits as shown in my former application hereinbefore referred to. In connection with each of these switch-boxes is employed a pair of stopping-contacts a connected to the box by wires 9, a pair of setting-contacts I) connect ed to the box by wires Z, and a pair of restore-contacts 0 connected to the boX by the wires b these contacts and conductors being arranged as in my former application. Then a train passes over the setting contacts I), the switches and circuits set forth in my former application render the stopping-contacts a at both ends of the block active so that no train can enter the block, and when the train reaches the end of the block going in either direction it passes over the restore-contacts c and restores the parts to normal and thereby renders both pairs of contacts a inactive. The two main switch-boxes are connected by the line wires 6 and f.

At a point intermediate the two main switch-boxes d and adjacent to the sidetrack and junction I provide a supplemental switch-box c and run the line wires 6 and f therethrough and connect them up to switches and circuits in such manner that the supplemental series of contacts are at times thrown into circuit with the main contacts of the block.

Along each side of the side-track I locate a supplemental series of contacts consisting of the safety-contacts a, the setting-contacts b, and restore-contacts c. On the junction line I also locate a series of supplemental contacts consisting of the stopping-contacts 0/, the setting-contacts b and the restore contacts 0. All the supplemental stopping-contacts a and a are connected in stopping-contacts to normal inactive condition, whereby trains will be prevented from entering the protected block from either the side-track or the junction track until the train that has preempted the block has passed therefrom. Should a train enter the main track from the junction track, supplemental contacts b will cause not only the supplemental stoppingcontacts to be made active but also the main stopping-contacts a, so that said train will be protected against trains moving in either direction on the main track and against a train that might attempt to leave the side-track. It will be observed also that should a train pass from the main track on to the junction track it vsdll pass over supplemental contacts and thereby restore all the stopping-contacts behind it and leave the main track and the side-track free. Should a train pass on to the sidetrack it will first pass over the restore-concontacts 0 and thereby free the main track, but should it attempt to leave the sidetrack and go back on to the main track it will have to pass over a pair of supplemental settingcontacts I) and in that way set the main stopping-contacts a'.

The manner of connecting up the supplemental wires Z, g and b to the main line wires 6 and f is shown in Fig. 3. At the left of the supplemental switch-box d the line setting-wire f passes in through a relay switch 1", thence through a contactscrew g thence through the lever r of switch n and thence out of the boX again at the bindingpost T and thence to the other main switchboX d. The line restore-wire e enters the supplemental switch-box at the right-hand side, thence passes through a relay switch v, thence through a contact-screw 00 thence through the armature-arm of a sounderswitch y, and thence out through bindingpost at and on to the next main switchbox (1.

The line wire f is part of the setting mechanism and the wire a is part of the restoring mechanism. When current is sent through wire f it actuates relay switch r and thereby closes a circuit i included in which is a battery. m, the magnet j of a double switch h. When this circuit 25 is thus closed the switch h is closed and battery i is thrown into circuit with the pair of wires g leading to all of the supplemental stopping-contacts, thereby making said contacts the terminals of the battery i and putting them in active condition. From the relay switch 1 the current passes out through binding-post r and thence on to the neXt main switch-box where it sets the main stopping-contacts and passes to ground.

A current passing into the supplemental switch-box through restore wire 6 first closes relay switch 7) and thence passes out through bi1 1cling-post 00 and thence on to the other switch box where it restores the main safetycontacts and passes to ground. The closing of relay switch 1) opens switch h through the medium of battery w, circuit u and magnet is and thus disconnects battery 71 from the supplemental stopping-contacts.

Should circuit Z be closed through the medium of the supplemental setting-contacts, the magnet of switch a will be energized and thus close the circuit of battery 0 and actuate switch 1, thus energizing magnet j and closing the switch h, thereby setting the supplemental stopping-contacts. The current from battery 0, through the connections shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 3,

passes in both directions through setting wires f through both the main switch-boxes d and sets both pairs of main safety-contacts and thence goes to ground. When any one of the pairs of supplemental restore-contacts are bridged by the brushes on the loco motive, the magnet of switch 3 is energized, through the medium of battery w and wires 6 thus actuating the armature x of said switch y. The actuation of this arm w closes the circuit 2 of battery 0 included in which is contact-screw 2 a contact-screw carried by an insulated part a mounted on said arm 90 in such manner that when said arm is drawn down said contact screw'will make contact with the bracket supporting contact-screw 00 In this way the current from battery 0 is sent through switch '1) and thence on to similar switches in the main switch-boxes and thence to ground, thus opening switch 72 and both the similar switches in the main switch-boxes thus restoring all the parts to normal. It will be obvious that this compound or supplemental system of contacts may be used in. a great variety of ways. In Fig. 2 I have shown it adapted for use at a crossover in which it is obvious that a train using this cross-over will protect itself from trains on either of the main tracks and that trains on the main track will automatically close the cross-over track while they are within the block in which the cross-over track is located.

In Fig. 4 I have shown this system arranged for use at a crossing, so that atrain passing over any pair of setting-contacts will set all the stopping contacts, thus protecting itself on all sides.

It will be observed that where I use the term intersecting track in the claims I employ it in its generic sense, to include not only crossing tracks but also the tracks of cross-overs, sidings, etc., the special object of the present invention being to provide supplemental protecting means which are capable of use in connection with the main block system without disarranging the same, as hereinbefore set forth.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an apparatus of the class set forth,

the combination with a main track and an-' other track adjacent the main track, stoppingcontacts and setting-contacts and restore contacts on the main track at each side of the connecting track, a similar series of contacts on the adjacent track, and electrical connections whereby said main and supplemental series of contacts are rendered mutu ally co-operative, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a main track and another track adjacent thereto, of an electrical stopping system therefor consisting of a series of main stopping contacts independent of the rails on the main track at each side of the adjacent track, a series of stopping-com tacts on the adjacent track, and electrical means connecting the three series of contacts, for the purposes set forth.

3. In combination with a main track and an adjacent track, a pair of stopping-contacts independent of the rails on the main track at each side of the adjacent track, a supplemental pair of stopping contacts on the adj acent track, and independent of the rails and electrical devices for simultaneously rendering these contacts active, and devices for simultaneously restoring them to normal.

4. In combination with a main track and a connecting track, stopping-contacts on the main track at either side of the connecting track and a pair of supplemental stoppingcontacts on the connecting track, a pair of setting-contacts adjacent to each pair of safety-contacts, means whereby all the safetycontacts are rendered active through the medium of the setting-contacts when a train passes over the setting-contacts, and means adapted to be actuated by a passing train for restoring the stopping-contacts to nor mal.

5. In a train-stopping system for a cross ing, the combination of a stopping device on each track at a distance from the intersection of the tracks, train-operated settingmeans on each track nearer the intersection, means whereby a train passing toward the intersection over any setting-means will render all the stoppingcontacts active and train-operated means operable by a train after passing the intersection whereby all the stopping-contacts are rendered inactive, for the purpose set forth.

6. In a system of the character set forth, a stopping device on the roadbed, a setting device beyond the same and a restoredevicc beyond the setting device, and a reversed series of stopping and setting and restoring devices on the opposite side of the roadbed,

and electrical connections between said two series of devices whereby the operation of either setting device will render both stop ping devices active, and. a supplemental series of stopping, setting and restoring devices connected with the aforesaid series of devices at a point between the restore devices of the two series of devices and arranged on an intersecting track, whereby the supple? mental devices will be mutually co-operative with the main devices, for the purpose set forth.

7. In a system 'of the character set forth, the combination of a stopping device, a setting device and a restore device, arranged in the order set forth on the roadbed, a reversed series of stopping, setting and restore devices on the opposite side of the roadbed, an intersecting track having on its roadbed a similar reversed series of stopping devices, setting devices and restore devices, and means whereby said several series of devices are mutually co-operative, for the purpose set forth.

S. In a train-stopping system for a crossing the combination of stopping devices on each track at a distance from the intersection of the tracks, train-operated setting devices on each track, and electrical means whereby 'a train passing over any setting device will render all the stopping devices active, and train-operated means whereby all the stopping-contacts will be rendered inactive after the train passes the intersection of the tracks.

9. In a system of the character set forth, the combination of a stopping device a setting device and a restore device, arranged in the order named, on the roadbed, electrical means for the purpose set forth, a stopping device on an intersecting track intermediate the aforesaid setting device and the restore device, a setting device and a restore device on this latter track, and electrical means connecting these latter stopping, setting and restore devices with the electrical means connecting the aforesaid series of devices, for the purpose set forth.

10. In an automatic block system of the character set forth, a series of stopping, setting, and restoring devices located on the main track and electrically connected and embodying means whereby a train passing over them will set the stopping devices behind it and then at the end of the block restore the stopping devices to normal, a series of supplemental stopping, setting, and

restoring devices on an adjacent track, and 1 In testimony whereof I hereunto afliX my means whereby this supplemental series is signature in the presence of two witnesses electrically connected with the main series 1 this 4th day of November 1905.

between the setting and restoring devices of HIRAM G. SEDGVVICIC the main series, whereby the main series and Witnesses: the supplemental series are rendered mu- S. H. ROBERTS,

tually co-operative. J. H. ARMIsTEAD. 

